Site Event/Activity record ECH6979 - Hooton Hall - Research and Recording

Summary A medieval deer park that became the seat of the Stanley family who had three successive houses, the last designed by Samuel Wyatt in 1778. Humphry Repton was commissioned to produce a Red Book for Hooton in 1802. His designs were realised in part. Following Sir William Stanley Massey Stanley’s bankruptcy, the Hall was sold to R C Naylor in 1849. He substantially extended the Hall to the designs of J C Colling, had a parterre laid out to the design of W A Nesfield, developed a racecourse in the park and sailed his yacht from the Mersey shore. The opening of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894 curtailed access to the Mersey and Naylor went to live elsewhere. In 1914 the Hall and park were requisitioned by the army, the park used for training and the Hall for the accommodation of officers. In 1916 the park began to be developed as an airfield with a runway and associated buildings. The Hall was left in poor repair and demolished in 1935. The site was used as a 2nd WW airfield and remained a base till 1957. In 1962 Vauxhall Motors developed much of the site as a car plant, served by the M53 which initially opened in 1968. The Hooton Park Trust formed in 2000, leased the WWI aircraft hangers. Some of the woodland on the south and east boundaries of the park form the Rivacre Valley Local Nature Reserve. Principal remaining features of the designed landscape (as observed from accessible land) Hooton Lodge with screen wall and gates by Samuel Wyatt, Grade II* Church of St Paul by J K Colling, 1858 – 62, Grade II* Hooton Park farmhouse, Grade II Home farm buildings including a barn Gardener’s House Walled kitchen garden walls Former stables and carriage house Length of park boundary wall of locally made brick with sandstone coping Part of tree belt to frontage of former Hall and to park boundary. By Rivacre valley Stone bridge on Rivacre Lane, B5132 Boundary bank in Clayhill Wood